


The Return

by Melphis_Amekia



Category: Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Secret Santa, Some Fluff, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 00:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5561776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melphis_Amekia/pseuds/Melphis_Amekia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for a Secret Santa. My giftee had requested for a FemHawke/Fenris short piece set after the events at Adamant Fortress, Fenris's reaction to it and maaaaaaybe some fluff.</p><p>So that's what I provided(alongside some retelling of the Adamant quest from FemHawke perspective).</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Return

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a Secret Santa. My giftee had requested for a FemHawke/Fenris short piece set after the events at Adamant Fortress, Fenris's reaction to it and maaaaaaybe some fluff.
> 
> So that's what I provided(alongside some retelling of the Adamant quest from FemHawke perspective).

The golden slave statues looked as sorrowful as ever in the dim light of the dusk. Strange. It seemed they were welcoming Hawke back.

_Ah, finally home._

Looking at the pristine high walls of the Gallows, Hawke could almost forget Varric’s reports. Even now, years after the destruction, Kirkwall had not been rebuilt even to its former standard. She had seen it at its worst, but it still hurt how bad it remained, though she had been hiding for some time elsewhere.

Still, Hawke had some obligations to fulfill. There was the question of what she wanted to do with all the things she had left behind when she went into hiding. She had given permission to Varric to use the mansion and her resources to help with the effort, but other than using the mansion as a place for those without a roof over their heads, he had kept it as it was. He also asked her to do some errands for him only she could do while she was there. “Keeps me from having to go myself.” he said, the bastard. Thinking of the memory, Hawke couldn’t suppress a smile.

Shaking her head, Hawke checked she had everything she needed and got off the ship which had moored onto the Gallow’s dock moments ago. She entered the city proper without a hitch, the guards respectfully opening the gates as soon as they saw her(one going from his post straight to the Viscount’s palace to inform Aveline, no doubt) and everyone, including them, whispering of the Champions return.

Hawke hoped it would not mean more blood.

She walked along the labyrinthine streets slowly, aware of the commotion happening alongside her path. There was one thing she looked forward to other than rejoining Fenris at their hideout, and that was to get to the mansion as soon as possible. Yet, the return to the place she made her home was compelling, drawing all the memories of the time wandering along these streets was common and less oppressive, less damaged. Hawke side-tracked to where the better memories arose again from ashes like fiery phoenixes, spending more time than she should have.

It was well and truly night when she arrived in front of her mansion. Even it had shown signs of damage, but it was nowhere near as expansive as it was in Lowtown and Darktown. Hawke sighed and entered, the cloak covering her daggers already unfastened and thrown away in the hall.

“Hawke.” a gravel-rough voice called out.

Hawke turned around, seeing Fenris leaning against the wall, looking grave but with a smile, a paradox that somehow existed, thankfully.

“Fenris!” she yelled, hugging him tight. He hugged her back fiercely. _Oh, Fenris. Why did I expect you would wait? Why did I expect I’d have more time to tell you, more time to prepare?_

After awhile, they broke the embrace, still standing close to each other.

“I have heard some rumours of what happened with the Inquisition... something about Grey Wardens going rogue? Varric didn’t disclose much what happened except that you were safe and would be returning. What happened?”

“What happened was that all the Wardens started hearing the Calling and, out of utter desperation, they hatched a plan to invade the Deep Roads with an army of demons and kill the remaining Archdemons before they could usher in another Blight.”

Fenris looked at her, horror-struck, his lyrium markings lightly glowing. “By the Maker!”

“It gets worse than that.” said Hawke, similarly downcast. “The one who came up with such a plan was a Venatori mage, one of the cultists who followed Corypheus, because he was the only one to provide any sort of a plan.”

“Corypheus?! Haven’t we killed that twisted creature?”

“We had. He’s risen up again, exactly like an Archdemon.” Fenris looked like he wanted to say something else but Hawke cut him off with a finger on his lips. “I have a lot more to say, Fenris. Wait.” It looked like he wouldn’t relent, but he relaxed, his face more grim than when they faced Meredith together.

“The Inquisition invaded Adamant Fortress, the stronghold of the Wardens, and we have managed to defeat both the demons and the corrupted mages in the Warden’s ranks. A lot of their soldiers were uncorrupted and stood their ground with us, in the end. Then, just as we were about to kill the Venatori agent, Corypheus’ pet dragon appeared, and we would have died then and there had the Inquisitor not opened a rift into the Fade the same way he’d usually close them.

Yes, Fenris. We had all walked in the flesh in the Fade - the Inquisitor and her party, the Warden Stroud we met briefly, and me. And... However disturbing it was going through the dream world like I had, even with my dislike, I cannot lie and say there wasn’t something fascinating about it.

We have fought through many demons to arrive back to the source of the rift and the source of the fake Calling - a Nightmare demon. I don’t even want to describe it to you. It was horrifying to see, to fight it, but we had managed to beat it for long enough to escape.” Hawke hung her head and sighed, then looked Fenris, who was visibly choking back some response, in his deep, brown eyes.

“Fenris, I... Almost sacrificed myself there. I almost died to save them all, but the Inquisitor chose Stroud. Fenris...”

“WHAT?” he asked, turning away, his voice full of pain as if he was being tortured by an invisible, earth-shattering force, his markings glowing stronger than than fireballs. “You willingly went into something even more dangerous than anything we’ve ever faced! You’ve ended up wholly in the FADE!” He crushed a wardrobe standing near the door. “You had to fight demons that were at full strength! You had to fight a NIGHTMARE DEMON! A NIGHTMARE DEMON!” He rushed to her, his arms shaking and so close to hers he looked like he was barely restraining himself. “Why?” he asked, sounding unusually fragile.

“Fenris, you know why better than anyone.” Hawke embraced him, her hands at the back of his head.

“Listen, I am here, Fenris. I am not dead.” She placed his arm on her own. “See, you can touch my skin. Completely not-dead.” The joke drew the faintest of smiles from Fenris.

“The risks you have taken, Hawke, they were so great. I...” Still, he was as adamant about it as ever.

“Ssshhhhhhh, Fenris.” Hawke said, closing the gap between them. “I am here. We have some time for each other now. Do you understand?” Hawke kissed him, just a short kiss to let him know it was true.

“I do.” he replied, his face breaking into one of his rare, genuine smiles before kissing her back.


End file.
